Lysekil Women’s Match - Semi-final action on the horizon

Swedish World Champion Anna Kjellberg and Danish World #1 Camilla Ulrikkeholm in their quarterfinal match at the 2014 Lysekil Women's Match, won by the Swede. In their respective semi-finals they are now both on a 2-0 score.

Dan Ljungsvik / LWM

With five wins out of five possible, the Swedish World Champion Anna Kjellberg secured her slot in the Lysekil Women’s Match semi-finals. Then she chose Danish Lotte Meldgaard Pedersen as her opponent, and during Friday afternoon she also gained a reassuring lead with 2 – 0 in the first to three wins semi-final.

The same score appears in the second semi-final, in which Danish world number one Camilla Ulrikkeholm is leading local hope Caroline Sylvan.

Six crews sailed off Friday morning in a separate round robin to determine the four semi-finalists, and after that it was clear that Anne-Claire Le Berre of France and American Stephanie Roble had to leave the competition. With two Swedish and as many Danish crews left in the semis, the remainder of Lysekil Women’s Match 2014 is an all-Scandinavian battle:

'Actually not very surprising. The Scandinavians have an advantage in knowing the boats and the local conditions better,' Le Berre comments, expecting the final to be sailed with Ulrikkeholm and Kjellberg on the starting line.

As the standings are right now, it seems like the French skipper will be right. After two matches in each of the semi-finals, Kjellberg and Ulrikkeholm has managed to get a 2 – 0 score against their respective opponents, Meldgaard Pedersen and Sylvan:

'We’ve certainly found the right flow now, but in this competition it’s just not possible to relax, not even for a second. Though it’s a lot easier to get wins now than in the beginning of the week, when we had to fight a lot more for every point' Kjellberg analyses, and continues:

'Tomorrow we’ll get paid for the work we’ve put in during the week, and we’ll also try to enjoy the racing a bit more.'

Lotte Meldgaard Pedersen is two matches down, but hasn’t given up her hope for the final:

'No, we’ve been very tight on the Swedes, so I wouldn’t count us out yet. There are still three matches to go,' she says, supported by Caroline Sylvan:

'Camilla is sailing so smoothly, but tomorrow we’ll get more wind, and we like that.'

Reigning and triple Lysekil Champion Camilla Ulrikkeholm is especially happy for the space she gets to manoeuvre almost exactly as she likes in the start sequences:

'When there isn’t more wind than today, it’s very important to get away well ahead at the start, and I really think we’ve managed to do that. Then out there on the course it’s been challenging, with current and many wind shifts to handle,' she concludes.

Standings in the Lysekil Women’s Match semi-finals. First to three wins advance to the final, to be sailed Saturday afternoon: